News

United Premier Soccer League Announces California Rush SC as Western Conference Expansion Team

Founded 2014, Huntington Beach (Calif.)-Based Pro Development Club Joins UPSL

Published Aug 2, 2018

August 2, 2018 – Los Angeles – The United Premier Soccer League (UPSL) is excited to announce California Rush Soccer Club as a new member starting with the 2018 Fall Season.

Based in Huntington Beach (Calif.), California Rush Soccer Club, a registered non-profit, begins UPSL play in the UPSL Championship Western Conference, and will host its home games at Lake Forest Sports Park (28000 Rancho Pkwy, Lake Forest, CA 92630) in compliance with UPSL's Minimum Standards.

United Premier Soccer League Western Conference Operations Manager Gary Brunner said, "California Rush is an established club based out of Huntington Beach, and we're excited to have them joining for the Fall Season. The Rush Soccer Club brand is known the world over and has created a real movement with its philosophies about player development. We wish California Rush well as they get going in the UPSL Championship Tier of the Western Conference."

Gabriel Lucatero is co-Founder and President of California Rush Soccer Club. A native of California's Central Valley, Lucatero was a two-year captain at Woodlake (Calif.) High School, twice earning all-league and all-CIF first-team honors.

Lucatero, 42, is a long-time coach and club administrator who led California Rush 97/98 Master Class to the finals of the 2015 Dr. Pepper Dallas Cup and the 2016 Cal South National Cup, while also participating at regional competitions like Surf Cup, Man City Cup and the U.S. Club Soccer Far West tournaments. He is concurrently an Academy Scout for Los Angeles Football Club (MLS) and Head Coach of the Boys Soccer program at Huntington Beach (Calif.)'s Marina High School.

California Rush Soccer Club President Gabriel Lucatero said, "We had debated creating a Men's First Team a few years ago but now that Rush has created Penn FC in the United Soccer League (USL) it makes perfect sense as a player pipeline. I wanted there to be real stepping stones in place for players to follow and now there's a real purpose for us and through our relationship with Rush we'll find a way. We'll get the scouts to come out and watch, and maybe play friendlies against Penn FC's first team so more players can get a look. We're excited for this opportunity to join the UPSL."

California Rush Soccer Club currently features 17 competitive circuit teams for boys and girls in Huntington Beach, Torrance, Santa Ana and Norwalk areas.

The club is conducting open tryouts and finalizing its roster and soon will announce its upcoming game schedule. For more information go to www.californiarushsoccer.com.

About California Rush Soccer Club

California Rush Soccer Club is an American Soccer club currently based in Huntington Beach, Calif., and a new member of the United Premier Soccer League. California Rush SC will begin play in the UPSL Championship.

Founded 2014, California Rush SC can participate in the qualifying rounds for the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup through their affiliation and membership with the UPSL, the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) and the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA).

The UPSL was formed in 2011 and currently includes more than 200 teams in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Wisconsin. UPSL is the fastest growing Pro Development League in the USA, with 300-plus teams targeted for 2018 Fall Season. Each UPSL team is individually owned and operated, and is responsible for maintaining either UPSL Pro Premier Division or Championship Division minimum standards.

UPSL teams are all eligible to participate in the U.S. Open Cup Qualifying Rounds through the leagues affiliation with the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) and the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA).

More information about UPSL can be found at www.upslsoccer.com or by following the league on Facebook (www.facebook.com/upslsoccer) and Twitter (@upslsoccer).